Set in the near future, A Drop of Life, directed by Shalini Kantayya, is the story of two women, a village teacher in rural India and an African American corporate executive, whose disparate lives intersect when they are both confronted with lack of access to clean drinking water.

Mirabai, an impassioned schoolteacher, has left her urban lifestyle to teach in Kutch, Gujurat. When Mira witnesses growing illness among the village children after a pre-paid water meter is installed, she decides to take action.

Nia, an ambitious young African-American executive, represents the interests of Hydron, a Manhattan-based water corporation. Nia goes to this Indian village to demonstrate Hydron’s new pilot project water pump that dispenses water with a swipe from a pre-paid credit card. When Nia finds herself in need of drinking water without a pre-paid card, both women must confront the horror of this system.